- Portfolio app is the most important. The best way to prove you understand something is working code.
- Check job postings. Note the things that are unfamiliar to you and write them down. Spend time implementing and adding these to your app. You don't need mastery, just familiarity.
- Github
- Attend meetups
- Two one-hour coaching sessions.
- Two one-hour code reviews.
- A one-hour resume review.
- A one-hour mock interview.
- Have an app to show off. Show that the code is the best work you're capable off.
- Make friends with at least three other developers.
- Blog every day.
- Distinguish yourself from the applicant pool.
Every day at our stand-up, each person shares what they did the day before, what they plan to do today, and, critically, whether or not they’re blocked.
Blocked is a crappy place to be. It means you’re trying to get something done but can’t. Current velocity: zero.
I’ve noticed something about programmers I admire: they’re extremely good at not getting blocked.
I asked him how he solved the problem I’d run into. He happily admitted he hadn’t. He’d run into that problem, spent a half hour on it, and then changed direction.
The best programmers I know have a different mantra: don’t get blocked. They’re focused on moving things forward, not getting bogged down making everything perfect. They’ll duck and weave, leaping over obstacles or tunneling beneath them. They like problems too, but they like something else even more: shipping.